Summary’ moved to appoint new DG ISI

PM Imran, army chief get briefing at NCOC; Gujranwala corps commander takes charge

ISLAMABAD:

The ‘impasse’ over the appointment of new director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) seems to be heading towards a settlement as the Prime Minister Office on Monday received a summary from the defence ministry in this regard, official sources told The Express Tribune.

"Yes, a summary has been moved [regarding the appointment of new ISI chief]," confirmed a relevant official while requesting anonymity.

The official; however, refused to divulge details like the name(s) included in the summary for the new DG ISI. But indications are that Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum who, in the ISPR’s October 6 press release, was named as the news DG ISI, replacing the incumbent Lt General Faiz Hameed.

Also read: Govt downplays DG ISI appointment impasse

The appointment of the DG ISI has been the subject of intense debate and discussions after it emerged that the government did not notify the new spymaster despite an announcement made by the ISPR in this regard.

The development sparked rumours that the civil and military leadership “not on the same page” vis-à-vis the issue. The government also confirmed that "proper procedure" was not followed for the appointment of the coveted post.

In order to defuse the tension, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa held a marathon session last week. After the meeting, information minister Fawad Chaudhry said the Prime Minister told the army chief that the authority to appoint the DG ISI rested with him. There were also reports that the prime minister was keen to interview potential candidates for the top slot.

Also, the information minister confirmed that all issues related to the new DG ISI had been settled. He, however, did not give any timeframe as to when a formal announcement would be made, though it is expected within next 48 hours.

Also read: Army chief visits ISI headquarters, discusses ‘internal security’ with spymaster

Monday was an eventful day as after several days of speculations, the civil and military leadership was seen together for the first time. The venue was the NCOC where Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting attended by the army chief as well as incumbent DG ISI.

Hours later, the military's media wing issued another statement about the army chief visit to the headquarters of ISI. He was received by DG ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hameeed, who briefed him on the internal security situation as well as on Afghanistan.

Earlier, in a rare move the ISPR also released a statement about the change of command at Gujranwala. "A change of command ceremony held at Gujranwala Cantt. Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir handed over command of Gujranwala Corps to Lieutenant General Muhammad Aamer, Corps Commander Gujranwala Corps," said ISPR statement.

It also released a picture suggesting that the reshuffle announced by the ISPR on October 6 would go as per plan.

The changes and reshuffles were due since three Lt Generals retired on Monday. Those included Lt Gen Majid Ehsan, Inspector General Arms at GHQ, Lt-Gen Aamir Abbasi, Quarter Master General at GHQ and Lt-Gen Hamooduz Zaman Khan, Commander Army Air Defence, who was also heading the NCOC.